did senator hagel say it was wrong at the time? and if he said that, why did he not say yes, i said that, i was wrong. you proved me wrong and go on with trying to do whatever he is supposed to do instead of sitting there and beating around the bush instead of saying, yes, i said that and i was wrong. our politicians do not seem to be able to say i was wrong at any time. they always give a big answer for the yes or no. host: that leads to some responses to that -- that the senator dave. it goes like this -- guest: i think that is perhaps a stronger characterization but not a totally unfair one. he did say i stand by those words because i said them, as i recall. it was in response to that question. i apologize. i have not seen the full context of that speech. when he then went on to say, elegantly, was that his characterization related to the war as a whole rather than the surge specifically. i think i personally shared his judgment that whether or not the war as a whole will be perceived as a good or bad choice in the historical re